Tag Archives Break down tape

Alright, scoot up and listen up.
I would ask that all Basketball, Baseball, Soccer, Hockey… and all sport outside football forgive my using the football model for this Chalk Talk.

Anyone that has ever played sports on a serious platform has studied tape. Coaches and teams spend hours and hours breaking down tape. They do this by taking the tape of the previous game(S) footage and cutting it, or editing it, into sections, something like this; Offense, Defense, Special Teams and trick plays.

We have spoken often here of the Coaching tools during our Chalk Talk’s of the use of the letters X and O, and what each represents; O for Offense, and X for defense. Other sports might just use them to represent their own team vs. opponent.

We have also spoken of how valuable it is to know your position’s representation during a chalk talk, so that your coach might show you the design of ta particular play, or what may or may not happen in an predictable or unpredictable situation during a practice or game.

We have also pointed out the importance of TOW letter’s we find just as valuable or even more valuable than X and O, these two letters are; U and Y. These represent all of us OFF the playing field or court.U being You.Y being Why you do the things you do and don’t do.

Today’s Chalk Talk wishes to point out the importance of breaking down your LIFE.
Studying specific situations, events, circumstances and understanding your assignment or a strategy dealing with the each past event we might study and learn from.

When we study tape on our next opponent… we must KNOW who they are, what they do, and what they are capable of.
SO…
We might focus on the Tight End, or Quarter Back, Running back, Center, etc. We watch over and over and study their stance, their tendencies, strength’s and weakness’s (if any). We learn everything from their height, weight, quickness and speed.
Why?
To best prepare us to know what we need to do to have success! To WIN!
So, what do we mean by breaking down tape, studying tape and strategy in LIFE?

Know your x’ and o’s in LIFE!
Know your players. Know those on your team and know those that aren’t on your team.
Breaking down tape in LIFE it’s SO important to study and know both!

Those on your team;
Know your Parents, friends, teachers, coaches. Get to really know them.
Know the person that cuts your hair, the server at your favorite place to eat… know the person behind the counter at McDonald’s, or________? Know the cashier at the Grocery Store, learn their NAME! Call them by their NAME.
Get to know them!
These are people on your team!
These are people that help you, serve you, provide you with things you need to have success in all the other things you do and want to do.

Then there are those that are not on your team. Get to know them and understand their strategies!
Understand the road they wish to lead you down. Study their situations, circumstances. Don’t JUDGE them, but study the reason they are an opponent to YOUR GOALS, your path and the things you wish to achieve. Develop a strategy with your teammates mentioned above to outsmart, outplay, outwork them.

Success depends upon your teammates and of-course you being a good teammate.
Study your last weeks tape.
Study your last years season.
Break down your life’s reel of highlights and see the blocks you received that allowed you to score, who made those blocks… praise them, thank them… and lean on them for the next ‘play’.
Or, break down the block you made to allowed a major score in your life.. or the tackle’s, interception’s, sack’s you made that kept them from scoring!

Break it down.
Understand.
Prepare yourself!
Coaching Principles provided in abundance in the book of Proverbs.